


Elementalist

by CrystalCaverns



Category: Original Work
Genre: Dark Magic, Fantasy, Magic School, Multi, Witches
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-08
Updated: 2018-03-08
Packaged: 2019-03-28 17:30:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13908819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrystalCaverns/pseuds/CrystalCaverns
Summary: Ravenwood Academy is home to all apprentices with a knack for magic. Those with light magic in their veins can study to become an Elementalist or a White Healer. Numerous lifetime opportunities begin at Ravenwood Academy. However, Ravenwood Academy is also a last ditch effort for those with dark magic residing in the darkest parts of them. These apprentices work day in and day out to attempt to master the parasites living within them. If they can't, they may lose who they are entirely.





	Elementalist

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there! This is just something I've been working on for my Sci-Fi & Fantasy writing course and figured I would put it up here.

            “So, when will someone tell him that he’s supposed to teach his familiar to do something, and not just conjure one?”

            I sit back further in my seat, for a brief moment I consider putting my feet up on my desk. However, that would be an awful idea. My lips curl up into a little smirk, “You act like you’ve taught yours to do something other than roll over in his sleep.”

            “Hey! Cheeto waking up at the promise of food is enough. It’s a command, Az, if I say ‘food’, Cheeto will wake up.”

            “Suni, it’s because your rabbit is **fat**.”

            The sound of a ruler being tapped on a desk makes Suni and I look up, meeting the gaze staring back up at us. Oliver Valhice is one of Ravenwood Academy’s most prestigious instructors. He’s also a giant asshole. Valhice expects the most out of us as apprentices, and once or twice he’s proven to be a little too rough on us. “If you two are done horsing around up there, I’d like to get back to the conjuring exams. Am I clear?”

            Suni and I mumble a ‘yes sir’ in response. I look back down at my notebook and take in a shaky breath. I hate being called out in front of a group of people. All those eyes on me make my goddamn skin crawl.

            A moment or two later, Valhice calls up Josephine Stockar for the final exam of the day. I will myself to look back up and try and forget the embarrassment in my chest. Josephine’s familiar appears with a pop of a portal. A light orange fox names Priscilla turns in a small circle, almost as if she’s trying to make an entrance. The command that Josephine taught Priscilla is to fetch any spell book off of Josephine’s desk. For a moment I’m actually impressed. I didn’t think of that to teach my own familiar, but it’s a good skill to have. Good for her.

            “Very nice, Miss Stockar.” Josephine smiles behind her round rimmed glasses at Valhice’s praise. “Unfortunately, we’re out of time today. We’ll pick up on Thursday with…” the ruler hits his attendance records with a sharp slap. “Ah, yes, the trouble makers. Azrael and Suni Sola. I expect wonderful things from you boys. Especially you, Azrael.” I hate how his expectations of me are used as some kind of punishment. “Dismissed. Blessed be, young ones.”

            Students mumble back ‘blessed be’s as they pack up and return spellbooks to shelves. Suni carefully leads me out with a hand on my back. He has to know that I’m not feeling great. To top off this awkward afternoon, a coy, airy laugh comes from behind us when we reach the main hallways of the school.

            “My my _my_ , Azrael. It seems like you two like to attract attention to yourselves. I wonder if you’re even prepared for your conjuring exam on Thursday.” Unfortunately, I turn around, staring back at one of Ravenwood Academy’s resident assholes. Blue black hair hangs over one of his shoulders, tied so neatly into place. Arms crossed over his chest, his hip cocks out to one side. A tan fennec fox sits on his other shoulder, clinging onto the fabric of his blazer in an attempt to not fall off. “Would I be correct?”

            “Fuck **off** , Sebastian.”

            Suni puts a hand on my shoulder, in some form of an attempt at reason, I think.

            “Language!” Sebastian fakes a shocked expression. “What’s got you so down in the dumps, Azrael? All that icky dark magic moving its way into you as well?”

            “Actually, asshole, I feel as though I’m quite ready. If you want some honest to Aya feedback, I think if you got up from the ground and stop kissing Valhice’s ass, you might actually be able to teach your familiar something! **_Besides_** screaming like a goddamn idiot.” With a more confident smirk on my face, I give a show off of my middle finger to Sebastian. Continuing down the hallway, I raise my head a little higher and listen to the sounds of Suni’s feet clambering on the floor to keep up with me.

            “Az c’mon, don’t let him get to you.”

            “He didn’t really. I just wanted to tell him how much I hate his guts.”

            Suni only sighs in reply.

            Boarding the lift to our dormitory floor, I pull out a leather bound book from my satchel. Opening the pages, I look over scrawled messages from my friends and myself. Messenger Books are quite useful for any apprentice that hopes to keep up a social life during schooling years. Messenger Books work through our world’s psychic Maelstrom, meaning we can open up access to other’s books to leave notes in. As I look over the pages, a message begins to slowly bleed onto the paper like ink.

            _Meet us up on the terrace, darling_ _♥_

 _  
_             A smile works onto my face as I show the page to Suni, “Clarence wants us to meet them upstairs. You need to stop in our room for anything?”

  
            “Yeah, I’ll meet you guys up there in a few,” Suni replies as the lift comes to a complete stop. The gates creak open and Suni steps out, turning right down the hallway to our room. I shift my weight from foot to foot as the gates close a few moments later. The lift rises to the top of the building, which is another four floors. The top floor isn’t so much as floor as it is a series of terraces connected by bridges and stairways. It’s difficult to navigate in the winter, and a bitch to handle if you’re afraid of heights. I keep my head high as I cross a bridge to one of the lounging areas.

  
            I open the door to a room off the terrace, and offer a small smile at the few people inside. Clarence is sat on the floor nose deep in a book. Makai and Grave are taking up most of the room on the couch, until Grave notices me come in. He gives a soft smack to Makai’s arm as a way of saying ‘make some room’.

  
            “Hey angel,” Grave says, opening up his arms for me, and I gratefully plop down to press a kiss to his nose. “You alright? I can feel how tense you are.” His voice sounds worried, not as loud or as playful as I’m used to. Grave is a man of snarky remarks and loving insults to match. His black hair is always tied back in a French braid that hangs just past his shoulders. Tattoos cover a good amount of his arms and legs, plus a little blue snake is tattooed on his face. His uniform is disheveled, like it is every day. His black sweater is half tucked in, his purple tie is loose and hanging low on his chest. His pants have multiple Cheetos dust stains along the thighs. Actually, a lot of what Grave owns has Cheetos dust stains. At the end of the day though, I still love him, even if he’s a walking mess.

  
            Outside the windows, the sun is setting over the hills of Skyhold, turning the sky to a soft pink and purple. The soft light bounces off of Clarence’s pink hair from where he’s sat on the ground. He finally looks up from his alchemy textbook, gazing over his shoulder back at me. “That’s your anxious face, darling. What happened?” He asks, his thick German accent dragging his voice down and out.

  
            “Just Sebastian, being…yknow, Sebastian.” I reply.

  
            “Was he being a teacher’s pet or his otherworldy self?” Clarence gives a tilt of his head.          

             “Both.”

            “What a little cock.”

  
            “Garrett Clarke!” I flick one of Grave’s pierced ears. I never normally call Grave by his real name. At least I respect that he doesn’t prefer it. I ignore the mumbling under Grave’s breath as he settles with his hands on my waist once more. “But I guess you’re not wrong. I just hate how much Sebastian gets under my skin. **Fuck**! He gets me so wound up and he doesn’t even do anything!”   

  
            Makai finally chimes in, “You sure it ain’t because he’s trying to take away your title of Ravenwood Academy’s resident Pretty Boy?” He asks, his almond eyes barely peeking through his peach-dyed bangs. I glare in response, only to be met with a cackle from Makai, “I’m kidding. You pride yourself way too much in your appearance to let anyone take your title away.”

  
            “You’re goddamn right. But, no, I guess he just gets under my skin for simple things. All he has to do to get good grades is sweet talk Valhice. Meanwhile, Suni and I work our asses off and we get the short end of the stick!”

  
            I can see the gears turning in Makai’s head as he sits back against the couch, thinking things over. “You know it’s just because Valhice expects so much from you.” Some days I wish he didn’t. “You’re a great witch. A fantastic one, I’d even say. I mean, I’ve never seen a witch grow an entire herb garden with a snap of their fingers.”

  
            “Didn’t Stefanie do that for-“ Grave is cut off by Clarence digging his nails into his leg to shut him up, “No, no, Makai’s right- you’re a great witch baby- best I’ve ever seen- **_fuck_** Clarence that hurt!”

  
            Clarence takes his hand back, giving Grave a glare that serves as a warning I suppose. I’m glad my best friend always has my back. Then Clarence claps his hands together, “Well, Alchemy homework is killing me, so, let’s procrastinate. Who’s hungry?”

  
            We decide to not go get dinner from the cafeteria, mostly because we’re not up to play the game of ‘What’s Edible Tonight’.  Especially once the sun had gone down, the walk was less appealing. I can’t speak for the others, but I’d rather not have a troll or a naga hop from the shadows to steal my wallet.

  
            Outside on the terrace, the lampposts are lit, finally. Little wisps of light gracefully float around the soft glow of the lamps. Pyreflies are harmless little creatures who are attracted to light in the warmer weather. In other words, they’re a moth’s less annoying cousin.

            Suni meets us downstairs in one of the kitchens on the third floor. He brings some veggies and rice from our room after Clarence decided to bring cake mix. It takes around an hour and a half for us to get dinner together, even though there’s five of us cooking what should be simple food.

  
            After dinner, Clarence cuts up pieces of the cake for each of us, and we go back up to the terrace to sit outside. Late April weather is almost perfect in Skyhold. It’s not too hot, and definitely isn’t too cold. The spring chill is oddly comforting and inviting. I end up sitting curled into Grave’s side once more, picking at the icing on top of the cake. I can’t keep my gaze on one place, whether it be the table in front of me or the stars above me in the sky.  
           

           “What’s up, mia magia?”

  
            Grave’s voice snaps me out of a trance of thought. All I give at first is a shrug in reply, but I know Grave isn’t going to let me avoid talking about it. “I’m worried about classes, I guess. Maybe I’m just over thinking everything and convincing myself I’ll drop out as a witch and have to take orders in some troll’s bar for the rest of my life.” Everyone around me replies with a gag or a groan. The idea of some smelly, musky, dirty bar at the end of a riverside tunnel will make anyone lose their dinner.

  
            Makai shakes his head, “Don’t think about that. You’re gonna own this witch business, and you’re gonna do some great fuckin things. You’re gonna help a lot of people, and run a shop that people line up to get into. Don’t think about the negative shit, ‘cause ya know it ain’t worth ya damn time.” Makai may be an asshole most days, and he may slack off on every assignment given to him. But he never falls short on giving his friends the confidence to keep going. If he can’t find the motivation to be a half decent student, he was going to make damn sure his friends have the motivation to. It’s times like this that I’m glad to have him as a best friend.

  
            “Listen to him for once, wouldya? I try tellin’ you this shit all day and you don’t listen. So if you’re not gonna listen to me, listen to Makai, yeah?” Grave asks, leaning in to kiss my cheek. “Now eat your cake. Then you’re gonna come back to my room with me so I can make you forget all that garbage in your head.”

  
            From across the table, Clarence groans around a mouthful of veggies, “Grave, dear, can you not talk about tossing my best friend’s salad while I’m right here!?”

  
            Makai spits his drink out. Suni gags.

  
            “Jesus Christ- I wasn’t talking about sex!” Silence falls over us, before Grave quickly adds, “For once!”

  
            I can’t help but laugh.

  
            An hour passes. The moon gets higher, and the air grows cold. Two hours pass and we’ve started working on homework, and complaining about professors. Three hours pass and I’m about to fall asleep against Grave. It must be close to three in the morning now I think. I barely hear everyone deciding to pack up for the night, and I thought I’d almost fallen asleep until Grave picks me up.

  
            He carries me and our backpacks down to his room, having to kick the door open once his spell lock is opened. Grave sets me down on the side of his bed closer to the wall. It’s warm and smells like him. The pillows smell like spices and the sheets smell like smoke. I turn on my side to try and get comfortable before Grave is tugging me to sit up so he can help me change clothes.

  
            “Can I pay you in chocolate mooncakes to do my laundry?” Grave asks, pulling the shirt over my head.

  
            “Do your own damn laundry.” I groan, falling onto my back. I hear the soft click of the string of fairy lights being turned on. It’s too dark in here to sleep when it’s night time. Grave finally settles down behind me, wrapping an arm around my waist. My back is pressed against his chest, almost enough for me to feel his heartbeat vibrate his chest. “Get to sleep, mia magia.” Grave whispers, kissing my shoulder. He’ll stay awake unitl I fall asleep. He always does.

  
            It isn’t the trill of my phone alarm that wakes me up. Is isn’t Grave shifting in his sleep for the hundredth time, it isn’t even something physical. What wakes me up is the sinking feeling in my chest. The feeling that for some reason, everything that I’d thought about the last day or so would come true. Anxiety makes itself at home in my ribcage and my lungs and my stomach. Tying knots and placing stones in my airways. I lay there motionless and stiff, because I’ve grown used to this feeling. Anxiety fucks up my own system because I’ve let it move in and get comfortable.

  
            The romantic bullshit of flowers growing in your lungs or fires burning in your stomach doesn’t exist. People make the shitty things about live sound nice, I’ve come to notice.

  
            Aimlessly, my hand searches underneath me for my phone. It’s still dark outside, with the sun barely trying to peek up over the hills and paint the sky pink. It’s early, but not early enough. My fingers curl around what must be my phone, and I pull it up in front of my face. I hiss at the too bright display of the time that shines in my face. Six thirty a.m. My first class isn’t until nine a.m. For at least two more hours I could curl up comfortably in my boyfriend’s arms and sleep this anxiety off. If I was an idiot, that is the choice I would make. The idea of sleep, however, is long gone. My first thought is to shower. Sometimes being clean helps me calm down. My second thought is to eat breakfast if showering doesn’t help. If all else fails, by eight thirty I’ll decide if I want to go to class. Even though I know I should, the idea of sitting still in a room with people I barely care about is a little bit difficult.

  
            First, I try to untangle myself from Grave’s arms. He’s lanky and long and his arms wrap around me like some kind of snake. More often than not I’m trapped in a vice grip in his arms first thing in the morning. It takes me a few minutes to unwrap myself. Grave won’t wake up, I know that. Except there’s this voice in my head telling me he will. It tells me he’ll wake up and get angry, maybe even yell. It’s never happened before, and I know Grave would never do that. Still, that voice tries to convince me this will happen if I move too fast.

  
            The floor of Grave’s room is freezing, enough to make my weight shift from foot to foot. A part of me wants to leave Grave a note and tell him I left to shower. I want to say goodbye and hear Grave tell me things will be okay again and that I’m worrying too much. However, that same voice convinces me not to. And I listen.

  
            Silently, I sneak out of the room and let the door close behind me. The lift to the other floors is at the end of the hall. I pass by Makai’s room and I can hear the soft chatter and laughter of him and Clarence. They must not have gone to sleep. The two of them probably won’t go to class. They’ll go to sleep when the sun shines bright in the sky. For a brief moment, I think about knocking on Makai’s door. That voice plants itself in my head and tells me I’d only be bothering them.  
            I keep walking down the hallway to the lift.

  
            Suni’s asleep in our room when I finally get through the door. The only thing on my mind at this moment is a shower.  

            
            The hot water on my skin helps a little. Its only when I’m washing my hair that I realize it’s been a while since I’ve done this. Taking care of myself gets difficult more often than not for the strangest reasons. Letting out a slow breath, my eyes close as the water runs down my back. I try my hardest to focus on the breathing technique that mom taught me. Inhale for four seconds, hold for two, exhale for four. Repeat.

  
            I continue this pattern for the next few minutes until I realize the water’s begun to run cold. I’ve barely gotten all the conditioner out of my hair, making the short remainder of my shower relatively unpleasant. Stepping out onto the tile floor, I pick up my phone from the counter. While I was in the shower, numerous notifications popped up left and right to remind me of what’s due today. If I don’t set these reminders during the day, there’s a chance I’ll forget everything I have to do. I can’t fall in a slump of being behind. If I can’t control how my body forces me to react to situations, I can at least control my school work.  I can work through this.

ASSIGNMENT DUE: CRYSTAL READING III – BRING IN 5 CRYSTALS TO IDENTIFY  
ASSIGNMENT DUE: ELEMENTALIST POTIONS – CREATE VIAL OF VITALITY  
ASSIGNMENT DUE: WHITE MAGI II – READ PAGES 345-356 (HEALING & HOLY)

            Thankfully, I’ve managed to do all of these. Work can still get done even though it feels like my lungs are collapsing inside me. I dry off and change into the basics of my uniform for the day. This is when I decide I can lay down for a little bit and try to catch up on some rest.

  
            “You’re back already?”

  
            I must have woken Suni up while I was coming and going from the bathroom. Waving it off, I plop against my pillows and cover my eyes with my arm. I’m exhausted and classes haven’t even started.

  
            Suni rubs his eyes, “It’s seven in the morning, why aren’t you still passed out in Grave’s room?”

  
            “Couldn’t sleep.”

  
            Silence lingers for a moment, and Suni’s staring at me as if he expects me to say more. I don’t. Suni shifts his position to rest his hand on his cheek. He’s thinking about something. “How much sleep did you get?” It’s a loaded question, and likely one I don’t have the answer to. My reply is a shake of my head, as if to say ‘I didn’t’. Then again, if any of us got more than three hours of sleep I would be surely surprised. “You should stay home today.”

  
            “Can’t. If I’m not in crystal readings, Valhice will throw me into a pit of ravenous hydras.”

  
            “Why do you take two classes with him if he causes you so much stress?”

  
            “I learn in his classes. Ain’t that worth it?”

            
            “Is it worth the no sleep and anxiety attacks?” He has a point.

  
            “I gotta be a good witch. I gotta be like you, and mom, and nana. I can’t be like dad.”

  
            “You’re not the one who has to worry about becoming like dad.”

  
            Suni has another point. When we were children, our Goddess, Aya had blessed us each with our magic, like she normally does all children at a young age. Our mother has light, elemental magic as her gift, passed down from nana and grampy. Suni however, did not come out as lucky. Dad had dark magic, the kind that can overcome one’s being and manifest over their existence. We lost dad to his dark magic because he gave into it, and let it control him. Our village put him into exile when he became the amalgamate of black grime that he is now. He’s lost in the void somewhere by now. Dad was never a real dad. Mom took care of us because she wanted to protect us from dad. She wanted to keep us safe from his rituals that would shake the house and keep Suni and I awake.

  
            Ravenwood Academy has a dark magic curriculum to help students who have dark magic inside them like Suni. Professors like Valhice work to assist students in harnessing and controlling their magic. We’re lucky to have this kind of program. Normally, witches don’t want to touch or associate with the dark, bubbly parasites that come with dark magic. All of Ravenwood Academy’s professors in that area have overcome their own magic. Which could easily be why Valhice gets under my skin so easily. The light magic in my veins could be reacting to the dark magic inside him.

  
            Sighing, I nod towards Suni, “Yeah I know. You’re not gonna be like dad. You’ve got Makai to help you along.” Makai’s dark magic isn’t hereditary, meaning it doesn’t run as deep as Suni’s. “He’s not gonna let you become like dad. I’m not gonna let you turn into what dad did.”

  
            The image of my father covered in black masses and dripping black liquid from his eyes and mouth is an image that will never be erased from my memory. I never want to see that happen to my brother.

  
            “Narcise is going to have to come after me from the void if he wants me to become like him.” Oddly enough it bothers me when Suni uses dad’s real name. I know our dad did awful things, especially to mom, but a part of me always wanted that perfect family you see on TV. I know now I’ll never have that.

  
            The sun had finally pulled itself over the hills once more. Sometimes I can get lost in the magic that Skyhold surrounds itself with. Sometimes I _want_ to get lost in that.

  
            “You can do this, you know.” Suni’s eyes shift to look at me for the first time since we started talking about dad. “You’re gonna be a fantastic witch like mom. Maybe even better.”

  
            “I don’t know about that.”

  
            “You’re already a fantastic witch! Don’t you let assholes like Valhice and Kael’a get you down. You’re a better person than both of them. I mean, don’t tell Valhice I said that or I’ll scratch your eyes out.”

  
            For the first time this morning, I laugh. I forget how good it feels to laugh when I’m feeling down. I go back to looking out the window, counting my breaths in my head like I did in the shower.

  
            “So...breakfast?”  
            “You cookin?”  
            “I can make eggs.”

 

 

 

 


End file.
